life without TV???

It's been a while since I've written about politics. I guess it's partly because the radio in my car hasn't worked since I put a new battery in it and I can't get my usual dose of NPR in the mornings. But I did come across something that got my feathers ruffled and I'll try to put this nicely.

It's about the switch from analog to digital TV. This quick video explains it pretty well. The government has already spent $1.5 BILLION on making the switch (advertising, education, and coupons for free digital converters). Well, it seems that's just not enough because I guess there are some people out there who haven't been paying attention and aren't ready to make the switch.

So now the government is delaying the switch and is asking for $650 MILLION to make the switch. WHAT??? Just so people can have a prettier picture to look at? Can't those who aren't ready to make the switch just live without TV for a little while? How sad of a statement about our culture is that? A large school district in our area is planning 700 job cuts next year and some law makers want to spend $650 MILLION to make sure people can have access to TV, which will expose them to endless hours of advertising, which will make them want more of what they don't have because they don't have a job and can't afford it, so they'll put it on credit cards and end up foreclosing on their houses.

I read a quote by a politician recently that said something like this: If someone out there doesn't know that there is a switch from analog to digital, then they're probably not watching television.

And even if they are, let their boob tube go blank and then they'll figure it out. Sorry, I try not to rant, but if you know us, you know that our family is one of those weird ones that watches television for about a total of 3 hours/week. I'm done now.

nothing to fear, but....Barak Obama?

I love this clip from the Daily Show last night. He talks about two of my greatest dislikes: guns and Fox News. He also does a great job pointing out how crazy it is that some people are so afraid of Obama right now. It's great! Oh, and he also did a pretty hilarious interview with Bill O'Reilly later in the show if you want to go to his website and watch that too.

wow...

What a night. If you've read anything on my blog in the past few months, you know that I am a happy man tonight. Do I think all is suddenly right in the world? No. Are all of our problems solved? Absolutely not. But you cannot argue with these election returns! No recounts. No lawsuits. No questions about shady voting practices. No wondering "what if." This is a landslide by definition.

I think the pastor of our church, Todd Hahn, said it best on his blog tonight:

Whether you voted for President-elect Obama or Senator McCain, know this - the world has not ended on the one hand, and the new era of perfection has not begun on the other. God is still in charge of mankind and nations and He is working all things to his eternal purpose. Focus on what is eternal, not what is temporal.

I appreciated McCain's concession speech and I hope his supporters will be able to appreciate the historical significance of the night. I also hope that we'll be able to come back together.

3 more days...

I wrote this on Friday and debated about whether or not I should post it...but I decided I would. So here goes!

I still can't believe how many false rumors (lies if you will) about Obama are truly believed around here. We were talking to my neighbor last weekend who is about 20 years old and is in the marines. Sarah asked him what his impression of the election was from a military mindset - how were people in the military voting? He responded that he thought most people in the military were voting for McCain because Obama would be the first Black Muslim president and would probably get taken out which would not be good. I'm not sure who was more surprised. We were shocked that people were still buying into that lie. He was shocked the hear that Obama is actually a Christian.

Then yesterday our middle school held a school-wide mock election. I wasn't surprised when I heard all the kids voicing their support for McCain given the area where my school is located and I certainly didn't engage in any debates. I just held my tongue and when the kids asked, I told them I would tell them who I voted for after the mock election was over. As the day progressed, it got harder and harder to hold my tongue - not because I wanted to change minds, but because I couldn't believe the lies these kids had been fed. Had I heard the same about McCain, I would have gladly corrected it.

I made it through the day, but this morning I finally had to hit it head on. Obama is not a terrorist. Obama is not a Muslim. Obama is not related to Sadam Hussein. Obama was not connected with the 9/11 plot. Obama will not make kids go to school on Saturdays and Sundays (I thought that one was pretty funny, actually). And when I ask where the kids hear these things, what do they say? Well the one about weekend school came from a kid in band. But most of them said they got their information from their parents. I asked one kid what his parents watch on TV and he responded, "Fox News." Well, I guess it's a good thing they don't watch that evil "Mainstream Media!"

great link...

A Christian author by the name of Brian McLaren who I have come to respect over the past 5 or 6 years has been posting some good reasons why he supports Obama over the past few weeks. I found this post about abortion very well written. It voices a lot of the thoughts I've had that I can't quite articulate as well as he can.

correction...

I need to amend my previous post. After further thought, I really think I should change my title from Peter the Teacher to Pete the Teacher. It has more of a down-to-earth feel to it. Sounds a little more like Ed the Electrician or Tito the Builder (which I actually heard Palin say). Thanks for considering my correction.

Peter the Teacher for Obama...

I kind of find this "Joe the Plumber" bit rather silly. Some guy asks a presidential candidate a few questions about a tax plan and suddenly he's the backbone of the opponent's campaign. The poor guy got hounded by the media and now the word is out he hasn't paid up on his taxes. That'll teach you to ask questions! :)

At any rate, I'll be the first one to tell you that I don't understand much about taxes, but I know taxes have been on the forefront of the election. I found this tax calculator online and found it interesting. It tells me that I'll get $1200 more in tax breaks under Obama than McCAin. You can take it for what it's worth. I don't even begin to understand how it's being calculated. I got the feeling, though, way before this calculator, that I'd be in much better shape with taxes under Obama. I also feel like I might be able to afford health care for my wife and kids under Obama. Who knows, maybe I'll even get a little more as a teacher. These are just a few of the reason Peter the Teacher supports Obama. I understand, however, that Preston the Executive, Earl the Oil Mogul, and maybe even Joe the Plumber may not agree.

Anyway, here's the calculator.

not quite 100%...

In the last debate, Obama said that 100% of McCain's ads had been negative. I have a hard time believing that it is 100%, and I'm not quite sure why he was so sure of that, but I must say it has to be close to that. In my own little survey completed in my house, I have calculated a 100% negative advertising rate by McCain. I have received 3 mailings from the RNC or McCain in recent days and all 3 have been attack ads against Obama. Not a single one mentioned why I should vote for McCain.

Anytime I hear a radio ad for McCain, it tells me why not to vote for Obama. I rarely watch TV, so I've missed most of the TV ads. And I've heard the tales of the fear-driven Robo calls making their way around the country. The few people McCain supporters I've talked to have all told me why I shouldn't vote for Obama.

And I've been quite frankly scared of the tone of the rallies for McCain and Palin. They don't seem too concerned about keeping their supporters focused on the positive. Some horrible things have been yelled and nothing has been said during the rallies to address the bitterness and hatred. I just read that a Republican congressman here in NC said at a McCain rally today that "liberals hate real Americans." What is going on here? I have seen Obama several times stop the booing and taunting from the overly-excited and tell his supporters to just go out and vote because we don't need to do that kind of stuff.

I know that attacking your opponent is part of the political game, but even if I wanted to vote for McCain, I'm not sure I would know why other than the apparent fact (according to the ads and stump speeches) that Obama is a palling-around-with-terrorists, real-American hating, elitist, anti-plummer socialist (which, by the way, could have been, but was not intentionally, a direct quote from the Limbaugh show).

I keep telling myself, "two more weeks...two more weeks..."

endorsement...

I guess I was a little surprised when I read about Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama.
I was, however, thinking that he would go towards Obama since it took him so long to make a statement about it. To me, that seems like a huge endorsement. Colin Powell is someone who is incredibly respected all across the board despite his involvement in the debacle that was the lead up to the Iraq War. I know there is a lot swirling around out there, but here is a good explanation of the objections to the endorsement...enjoy!

too funny, and too true...

my two interests combined...

I get to write one post about photography and politics. I caught the end of the debate tonight and managed to stay awake. The thing that caught my eye the most was after the debate ended.

The candidates and their wives began working the room and shaking hands. One guy caught my eye because he whipped out a Kodak disposable camera. I thought, "I wonder if he snuck that in or if he's allowed to have it." Then a minute later I noticed another disposable camera being used by someone else. Then another and another. It might just be my nerdy photographer self, but I had to laugh. The whole stinking room was using Kodak disposable cameras. I guess Kodak must have been sponsoring the night. I didn't even know they still made those things any more.

Kung Fu Politics...

I saw this site and had two immediate thoughts:

1. Wow, this is pretty funny.
b. Someone has too much time on his hands.

At any rate, if you're up for a little kung fu politics and want to see some real blood drawn from the candidates...have at it! Click on the picture below to check it out.

changing candidates...

I've been an Obama supporter until this morning. I came across this video and the following ad convinced me to change my mind. I hope you'll do the same!


Just in case you didn't pick up on the sarcasm, I'm not actually changing my mind. I just found this spoof ad to be a hilarious parody of the ridiculous political ads that are out right now. I hope you enjoyed it too!

my take...

I just finished watching the VP debate and I'm sure you won't be surprised that I would like to offer my opinion for whatever it's worth. I didn't comment on the presidential debate because I didn't catch most of it and what I did catch was pretty boring. This debate, however, was extremely interesting!

Overall, I think we'll hear both sides claiming victory as usual. Republicans will be glad Palin held her own and had a few shining moments. Democrats will appreciate Biden's presidential-ness and the fact that he didn't say anything gaffe-like.

I must say that I am now a huge fan of Biden. I didn't know much about him before, but man, is that guy impressive. He has such an amazing background and experience. He speaks with such passion and he has the ability to connect with real . I was certainly impressed with his desire to work towards an end to the genocide in Darfur. He effectively cut the "Maverick legs" out from under Palin which I was glad to see because that whole Maverick stance rubs me the wrong way anyway. I now firmly believe he would be an amazing legislative connection for the administration as well as a solid negotiator in foreign affairs. I think he would command respect from foreign powers and effectively and comfortably communicate with our allies and enemies.

I also think Palin pulled through just fine and won't make any major headlines, which had to be a major goal. She was obviously out of her league and steered away from some foreign policy questions. At times, she appeared to me to be rehearsing lines and trying to cram as much as possible into 90 seconds. By the end of the night, I was quite tired of hearing about the connection between raising taxes and job losses. I don't feel like that point really connected with much of anything, but she was determined to drive it home.

In my opinion, I'd certainly chalk the victory up to Biden, but I think Palin did well enough to keep her relevant and in the game.

Obama on reform...

Are you sitting on the fence in this presidential election? Or are you thinking that I'm crazy for supporting Obama? Or do you support Obama and simply want a few more reasons to feel good about your decision? Either way, take some time and watch this video. It outlines the types of reforms (political, governmental, and regulatory) he plans from Day 1 in office. I think you'll have a hard time arguing any of these points.

quote of the week..,

From Karl Rove on Sunday:

"McCain has gone in some of his ads -- similarly gone one step too far," he told Fox News, "and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the '100 percent truth' test."

This from the King of Politcal Spin!

what is it good for?

The 7th anniversary of September 11 brought back too many bad memories for me as I know it did for most Americans. I get squeamish every time I see the images from that day. Maybe it's because I spent weeks after that day filling my mind with the endless news coverage. Perhaps it's branded on my heart because Sarah and I traveled to NYC and saw Ground Zero with our own eyes one week after the towers fell. Whatever it is, I'll certainly never forget what I felt that day and the following weeks.

What I wish we could all forget is the warrior mentality that overtook American politics following 9/11. We're good, they're evil. We're right, they're wrong. Those who are not with us are against us. We were suddenly no longer invincible and that stung probably even more than the loss of innocent life. We were suddenly afraid of everything, and with good reason.

However, I wish we could go back and do things differently. There are several questions I would like to ask about our response to 9/11 and in my own feeble way, I'll try to answer them...we'll see how it goes. I'm trying to work these things out in my mind, so bear with me. At the heart of these thoughts is my growing sense of pacifism, my desire for peace, and my belief in God and that Jesus called Christians to love our enemies.

Should we have gone after Bin Laden? Yes, I think we should have focused all of our energy and attention on finding Bin Laden. I certainly don't know all of what went on in the planning of our invasion of Afghanistan, but it seems like we tried to take on too much all at once. I feel like after searching for him for a while, maybe we should have waited for a while instead of sending more and more troops leading to an occupation of the entire country. Would that have seemed cowardly? Maybe to some, but keep reading.

I have read that some estimate the cost of the War on Terror is going to hit upwards of $2 TRILLION, some reports aim closer to $4 trillion! Wow. And that is just government costs. That doesn't take into account the burdens that families have endured from losing loved ones, the lifetime of medical costs of those injured incur, the cost of $4/gallon gas on the nation, and the endless untold expenses. Is war just about money? No, but how would our world be different if we invested that money in peace-loving ideals instead of war?

What if we took $2 billion and invested in building schools, roads, small businesses, and water filtration in Afghanistan and Pakistan instead of dropping bombs? Do you think there would be so many people lining up at Al-Qaeda's door willing to wear a bomb? Probably not? That might sound foolish and I realize it's not as easy as it sounds. There are lots of things to consider here like international relations and corrupt governments. But isn't it always right to try to bless others?

What if we would have taken another few billion dollars to insure uninsured Americans? Or given more help to first-time home buyers, invested in public education, improved health care for veterans, or built more green energy infrastructure to wean ourselves off of foreign oil?

What if we would have avoided war with Iraq? That's a whole other story in and of itself.

I know these things were probably the furthest from our minds on 9/12/01, but maybe they should be on our minds now. How would we respond if something like that happens again? What can we do to help improve our image in the international community so fewer people hate us? What can we do to purge our addiction to oil (not just foreign, but all oil)?

These questions are one more reason I cannot support McCain/Palin. They are both incredibly divisive people when it comes to foreign policy. In today's world, I don't think we can stand up and say we are good and they are evil. If we do that, we are getting into the same game as the Islamic extremists. We need to find ways to bless our enemies (and more specifically the people who are oppressed by our enemies) which the Bible clearly tells us is the best way.

I feel like Obama would be the best at reaching out to our enemies to work things out diplomatically. He has said he will open talks with adversaries. I also saw a poll of about 20 other countries who said they would rather see Obama win the presidency and the Queen of Jordan expressed her desire for the United States to reinstate itself as a leader of inspiration, hope, and ideas in the world. To me, Obama has the best shot at doing that.

I couldn't help but notice...

I must say that I thought McCain did a much better job with his RNC speech than I expected. He kept his speech mostly positive. Palin's speech was more entertaining, but McCain's more dignified. I was disappointed by the demonstrators and at one point I started feeling sorry for McCain that the delegates were more focused on drowning them out than they were on him. I think the theme of the night was a little irrelevant...McCain is a war hero, Obama is not. I certainly don't discount McCain's POW experience, what a nightmare that was and I am sure that it had a lasting impact on his life. However, I feel like that's all I hear him (especially at the Civil Forum with Rick Warren) and his supporters say these days besides "Drill, baby drill!"

At any rate, the main thing I noticed was that McCain's entire speech was delivered in front of a giant blue screen! In case you hadn't heard, he gave a speech months ago in front of a large green background which Stephen Colbert turned into a challenge...make McCain more interesting by using the green screen to insert video. One of the responses is below from that challenge (you can see more on youtube). Didn't the RNC realize they were doing it again? Either this was a major gaffe or perhaps it was done on purpose for some more press time. Either way, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the blue screen. I'm sure Colbert will have a field day with this one Monday night on his show!

rather disappointed...

I'm sure that conservatives everywhere are waking up this morning quite satisfied. Palin delivered quite a speech last night. I can't help but feel disappointed, though. I had hopes that she would come out and deliver a positive message, a nice introduction to herself and her family. She did do that, and she appears to be a warm, caring person. However, she came out swinging with some pretty harsh criticisms. I get the feeling that she is a pawn in the huge political game. She was promoted to be an outsider and a ray of light into the campaign. She evidently spent nearly 2 whole days working with McCain's speech writers. One of the speech writers was quoted as saying, “After she delivers these lines, McCain’s decision to choose her will be much more obvious.” Like I wrote last night, politics is a dirty game. I just hope for Palin's sake, because she is such a seemingly warm, genuine person, that she's fully aware of what she's getting into. But I get the impression that she is just falling in line to be like the rest of the politicians.

getting a little tired...

I was just brushing my teeth a few minutes ago and a surprising thought crossed my mind. I'm growing quite tired of the presidential race. I've tried to keep from overloading myself with all of it, but I think I've about reached my limit with the conventions over the last two weeks. I find the whole process to be kind of like driving past a bad traffic accident. I want to drive by without a glance, but I can't help but slow down, crane my kneck and take in as much as I can before moving on.

I'm alternating right now between typing and watching Guliani's speech at the RNC online. His speech perfectly underscores why I am growing tired of the race. Seventy five percent of his speech has been mocking and bashing Obama. Earlier I saw a headline stating "Palin set to slam Obama in convention speech." I also heard Mitt Romney criticizing the Northeast Elites in a speech. Isn't he a bajillionare from Massachusettes? Last week, I watched the Democrats take plenty of cheap shots at McCain as well. Aren't all of these key leaders from both parties professing Christians? Shouldn't we be speaking out of love and not tearing our brothers and sisters down? Why can't it be more about the positives and less about the negatives?

I'm not new to politics. I've been around it my whole life and I understand that insulting is part of the game. I also believe that there is no person who has gotten to the point of being able to run for president without ever having done something a little on the sketchy side. Playing politics at this level is a dirty game, no exceptions. But even with that understanding, I will never understand the lack of humility and the excessive belittling that comes at this level of politics.

I will also never understand the passion at which individuals support candidates. I support Obama. I believe he is the best choice. I even went so far as to put a bumper sticker on my car. But when I watch these conventions, I just have to scratch my head. So many people seem willing to do anything to defend these candidates whom they don't even know personally. This has become so evident in the past few days with the support people are throwing at Palin. All of a sudden, thousands of Republicans talk about her as a fearless, corruption-fighting, maverick who is going to shake up Washington. How can they be so sure when so many of them had never even heard her name until a week ago? I'm sure she's a great person and I'm sure she works hard and does a good job. I look forward to getting to know more about her. But how can one be willing to argue in defense of a person they know nothing about other than a few tidbits we've gotten from the news? It seems like you might want to give it some time before you behind her so much. I'm intruiged.

Anyway, I'm probably just a little exhausted from the conventions, but I just really want the election to hurry up and get here so we can move on. Oh! Gotta go! They just announced Palin and I want to watch her speech!